Kaila Marie: No More Trouble Zones (2012)

"Get into the zone with kick-butt trainer, Jillian Michaels Kaila Marie, and tackle stubborn problem areas with her surefire circuit training formula that combines upper- and lower-body sculpting moves to obliterate fat even faster. Say goodbye to saddlebags, muffin tops and wobbly arms with this heart-pounding, 40-minute circuit workout that targets trouble zones like never before. By keeping you constantly challenged, Jillian Kaila Marie will transform your body from flab to firm in no time! Warm up and cool down before and after this grueling workout."

Sample Workout

Begin in Upward Facing Dog and zone in on your target end point, about 20 times your body length away from you. ( approx. 120 feet for a 6 foot adult).

 From Upward Facing Dog, lift your body up into Plank Position.  Only your toes and hands should be touching the ground. Hold

From Plank Position, using your abs, jump, and pull your knees under you to Cat Pose.

From Cat Pose,  catapult your torso forward through the air.

 Land on your belly using your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, lats, shoulders, biceps and core to keep your arms and legs in the air when you land.

 Do approx 20 reps until you arrive at your target.

Repeat. All. Day. Long.

NO EXCUSES!! Get out there and move!

Auntie Love-Spring Fashion Show

Let's face it. In our home, all the cutest clothes come from the Aunties, all three of them. As I dressed all three of us this morning (thank goodness Ryan's got that down, otherwise I'd be dressing the whole house every day) I yet again realized how much of our cute clothes come from the Aunties. I thought I would give them the thanks they deserve by doing a spring fashion show, with their handiwork on display.

 Snoopy Surf Shirt- Auntie T.

Plaid Shorts- Auntie Lyndal

Little Brown Tom's Shoes- Auntie Lyndal

White Ruffle Tank Top, Flowered Flowered Skirt w bloomers, and Jelly Shoes- Aunty Lyndal

Black T-shirt- My sister Lyndal

Jeans- My sister Andrea

Flip Flops- Me. Ok, I Ryan and I actually do clothe our family.

 The only problem is that I always have to decide when to put on the cute clothes, depending on how long I want them to last. It only takes one mealtime before stuff begins to look like this...and this is nothing! You should see the mess after black beans and beets!

                                                                     

                             

ps. I couldn't post this without saying a huge thank you to my parents (all four of them) for all their random gifts that are so cute, and to all my friends. especially Holly, Rhiannon...Who have donated clothes to us so many times. I think about you guys each time the kids wear your clothes and am so thankful for your generosity and remembering us.

Birthday Bonanza at the Bay

...and Kaila's first camping trip! There were about 10 people with May  birthdays, so our amazing friend Joe Hendrickson put together a campout that saw over 40 people cycle in and out over the weekend! We stayed in the group campsite at Morro Bay State park and just enjoyed being outside all day. It was even complete with a 30th celebration for me and a Cinco De Mayo Feast on Saturday night! 

Celebrating the big 3-0 with a few of my amazing friends!

Kaila-Marie was an early riser! Up at 6 am, all three of us enjoyed the beautiful morning light and our little chatterbox with our morning coffee.

                                                                   Exploring the Marina.

 Hike up Cerro Alto with Aunty T and Uncle G.

Just hanging out at the campfire...Aunty Lyndal was there! Yea!

Lots and lots,...and lots of fun in the dirt. It was the good kind too, the powdery kind that blows in the air and feels so fun when you put handfuls of it on your head and let it fall down the back of your shirt...you know, that kind...tends to taste good too! 

The Schmidts know how to make a party happen! Josiah initally began to go after the pinata with a branch the size of a small horse (he's a little new to the game). When that amounted to nothing more than tears of frustration, he resigned to poking it with a smaller stick. Brielle (in the tan jacket) shared Josiah's desire to poke the pinata to death, and they double teamed it.

"Really mom!?..a photo-op right when she was about to let me reach in that bag and grab a starburst?!"

"more!? more!? more!?" 

                                      

There was a huge, full moon and our campsite overlooked the beautiful wetlands and hills of Morro Bay. It really was so gorgeous all weekend and I can't wait to go again. 

I'm even thinking of booking a mid-week trip where Ryan can go to and from work from the site, and I can just camp out with the kiddos and whoever wants to join us. I have to take advantage of my flexible stay-at-home mom status!

Thank you again to Joe, for making it all happen!

Country Time

Critters are all over this time of year. We have a family of 7 foxes waking us up in the middle of the night with their odd, honking noises, deer, all types of quail, doves and other birds, and recently, we have had several bee swarms.

They make Ryan squeamish, but I find them facinating.When an existing hive gets too big, a bunch of bees, break off to find a new location. The swarms aren't dangerous. Bees are only aggresive when they are protecting their young or food, and since these bees are kicked out of the hive, they don't have either.  
What is amazing is that inside the swarm, there is a sort of democratic process that goes on. When the bees are forced to move, "scout" bees go and find a new location. When the scouts come back, they stand, two at a time, next to each other and do a little dance to communicate what they've found (size, location, etc. of the potential spot) to the rest of the bees. The rest of the bees then "vote" by moving nearer to the scout they choose. The scout with the most "bee-votes" wins. Then another scout comes in, and they vote again. They do this until there is only one scout left, and that scout leads them to the new site. Amazing right!?

The swarm on the move. You can see the cloud of bees against the sky.

They find a branch, the queen settles down there and the rest of the bees pile on top and all around her. This was a small swarm. Another one came this last weekend and it was two or three times this size. Note to self: Keep the garage door closed!

The first swarm was collected by our local honey-farm. They will re-home the bees and use them to make local Atascadero Honey. In case you were wondering, yes, that is a shop-vac attached to a wooden box in a wheel-barrow. They sure know how to get things done around here!

Puttin' Down Roots

I am one very lucky girl. 

My husband is such a hard worker.  He is intelligent, strong, and capable. He is my best friend, a great dad, and a talented handyman! 

This season we have been puttin down roots by getting our back, and front yard in shape. We want a great place to hang out with the kids on the grass, to have BBQs in the warm evenings, and a place to let our little ones crawl and romp comfortably. 

Here's a picture of the backyard before. There was a black-widow ridden plank-deck and a sandy dirt patch to the right, where Ryan is standing.

I snuck a picture of Ryan working in the pouring rain. He worked at night, in the dark, and in all types of weather to get the patio and grass in before summer. 

Ryan hand-sifted the dirt for the entire patio (to save money). He took out 6 inches of the existing soil all over the backyard, sifted it, leveled it, and built the frame for the concrete patio.

The grass is in, the back yard is shaping up! We will have plants along the wall border, and, if you look to the right of the picture, you can see our soon-to-be outdoor shower!

              We had a bit of extra sod so we put it in the front yard where we often hang out in the mornings, drinking coffee, admiring the view and listening to the birds while the kids play.   This picture is of the front yard in full use, toys out, the chickens scratched up the mulch, my plants laying around...I just took the photo as the kids went down for a nap.

                    

I snapped this picture right after I took the one above of Ryan working in the rain. He came home from work that day, went outside and began shoveling dirt and gravel. Then, when it was time, he switched gears, came in to have dinner, gave the kids baths and did the bedtime snuggle routine with me. I admire him so much, I have an amazing husband. 

I am one very lucky girl.

Half Marathon

I ran my first half-marathon today, so I guess I technically PRed as well! It was misty and cool, perfect running weather. The course was pretty hilly, but I had an amazing group of supporters there to cheer me on. Ryan volunteered at the race and was at the finish line cheering me on. Lyndal brought the kiddos to see me and did the morning routine with them all on her own, Matt and Shellie made me an inspiring sign and cheered me on all over the course, Jaime and Noah were at the finish line and had plenty of hugs...it was a great morning.

                                                   

A good friend encouraged me to post my time of 2 hours and 5 minutes.  My goal was to run at least min 10 minute mile pace, and not get injured (it's been a long time since I have been able to run!)  My final mile pace was 9min 35 seconds. In fact, my 5k time averaged 9:30, my 10K time averaged 9:30, and my end time averaged 9:30. It was good to see that I knew how to pick a good race pace for my body and keep it consistent for 13 miles. 

I'm already building my next goal and planning for my next race...I had so much fun!

Wednesday Morning Hello

Good morning Ryan! Thank you for working so hard in the office, around the house, and for the kids and me. Here's Josiah at his first gymnastics class. (It is only 5$ to drop in any time you want and just crawl, bounce, jump, sing songs, act silly, and try out the balance beams and trampolines...What fun!)